Seeing, feeling and exploring places and cultures of the world

A Walk in The Neighborhood

It is a sunny and quiet morning in Kemang, a district in South Jakarta. The usual traffic congestion is absent, supplanted by silence, the occasional sound of chirping birds and the faint banter of breakfast vendors. I walk around the neighborhood and turn down one of the streets which I often drive through in my car. Only this time I have ample time to gaze upon the beautiful sun-kissed walls, ornate fences, and green patches along the street – things I had never paid attention to before.

Kemang is one of the hotspots for nightlife and upscale restaurants and cafés in the Indonesian capital. Arrays of Indonesian, Italian, American, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Indian restaurants along with Irish pubs and ubiquitous fast food chains throng the narrow streets of Kemang. Many times I find it rather overwhelming to walk around this area, particularly at night. But the scene and ambiance are completely different in the morning.

As I walk further in the tranquility of a morning in Kemang, a street opens up to a double-decker street where a newly-built flyover provides shade to the older paved road beneath. Construction is evident in this part of the city, for the sake of both development and growing business opportunities. It is such a peculiar and slightly disturbing thing to see the concrete monoliths standing side by side with pretty houses and their manicured gardens.

At another corner, I take another turn to head back to my place. But before that I enjoy breakfast from a traditional food cart which I have never noticed before. An old man, probably in his 60s, attends the modest cart. He is a vendor of bubur ayam (Indonesian rice congee) – a delightful concoction of smooth rice porridge, yellow chicken broth, sweet soy sauce, shredded fried chicken, fried soybeans, chopped celery leaves (sometimes also scallions), fried chopped shallots, kerupuk (seasoned starch crackers), emping (Gnetum gnemon crackers), and a spoonful of sambal (ground chili-based sauce). A bowl of this satiating breakfast only costs 6,000 rupiah (roughly US$ 0.60). This is probably one of the things I love about Kemang. On one hand upscale eateries are abundant, but on the other hand it is so easy to find food which costs less than US$ 1.

Going back home with full stomach, I cannot help to think. I have just discovered so many things I never knew existed, yet I was not traveling. I was only wandering around my own neighborhood.

So what is the definition of travel? Is it a journey? A movement of people or objects from one place to another? Going on a trip? What else?

For me, my passion for travel has brought me to some of the world’s most amazing places. But the more I travel, the more I realize that the world has so many more amazing places to explore. Planning any trip will always open my eyes and further my knowledge about places I barely ever heard before, beyond the obvious internationally-renowned sites. But in the excitement I often forget how little I know about my own backyard, my own neighborhood.

Walking around the place where I live often brings me the same excitement of discovering exotic locations in far-flung places. Looking at beautiful houses and enjoying vibrant street scenes are some of the things I often ignore and only take for granted.

For me, travel is beyond the “been there, done that” paradigm. It is about discovery of new places, and of myself. There were times when I surprised myself for what I did when I was traveling. But above all, I am very grateful for the experiences I had in 2012. A new year has come and more amazing places wait to be explored this year.

Thanks James! I felt like I needed this walk to know more about the neighborhood, and I discovered so many little things. Next time I might take you to that chicken congee stall, and have some more sambal! 🙂

I was out during last holiday season when most people went to Bandung or Bogor. So yea, the clear sky was a rare thing for Jakarta. 🙂 Actually I went to the same bubur ayam vendor the next day because it was really good.

Yes, Jodi. Go see your neighborhood! You might discover things you never knew existed. In the end, by paying more attention to such mundane things, you’ll enjoy your travel to far-flung places even more. As for the food photos, I just couldn’t resist to put them in the post. 🙂

Thanks for bringing us along on this morning walk. I find myself seeing the world with new eyes after having traveled so much, too. I also think that seriously practicing photography for the first time has changed my perspective… I look for beauty in simplicity now.

Seeing your breakfast has made me really hungry! 😉 Thank you for sharing and Happy New Year once again.

You’re welcome Meghan! 🙂 It is one of the reasons why I always encourage my friends to travel because chances are they will return enriched. Of course it’s up to every person to learn from his/her own travel experience.
When you happen to visit Indonesia, you might want to try the street food. Most of them are tasty and cheap! 😉 Happy New Year again to you!

Oh, I loved this post. Your description of the vast definitions of travel is so true – you can indeed “travel” to your own backyard and find so many new and fascinating adventures. You don’t have to go very far at all to experience the thrill of traveling. 🙂

I also loved reading about Kemang and how things are changing there. I spent 11 years of my childhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, so it’s definitely bringing back some very fond memories when I look through your website. You have a great blog here – lovely pictures and enticing writing! Keep up the awesome work.

Hi Bama, Happy New Year! Just got over some humps of the past few weeks and glad to finally catch up with my favorite blogs. This is such a great welcome post.
It’s true we tend to take for granted the wonderful things that surround us day by day, which is sad because we don’t realize what we’re missing. Like you, I have found how rewarding it is to be actually be a tourist in my own city. I realized there’s always a beauty, big or small, to see around you if you let yourself see them. Fortunately, I live in New York City where I can always find something to keep me in awe each day. I guess the more you open yourself to things around you, whether near or far, the more you connect with yourself. Your right, that’s what traveling is all about.
Wishing you happy travels in 2013!

Hi Marisol! Happy New Year too! I remember reading someone’s blog about NYC and how she captured daily activities in the Big Apple — everything looked so interesting, even the most mundane things! It’s one of the cities I want to visit the most. Wishing you more interesting travels in 2013 too!

Bama, This is a wonderful account of your neighborhood in Jakarta. We fell in love with your home on a recent RTW. After living in Khartoum, Sudan for several years we learned that a city is so much more than what shimmers on the surface – you have to walk around the corners and pay attention to the small details. Thanks so much for this insightful post. All the best, Terri

I’m really surprised when you said you fell in love with Jakarta. Actually you’re the second foreigner that I know who love Jakarta – the other was a Canadian women who I met in Bangkok a year ago. Jakarta is indeed a city hard to love at first, but once you dig deeper you’ll see some of its hidden ‘charms’. Thanks for dropping by Terri!

I traveled to Kemang in day light one time. I have to say, it looks so different than the usual night hype that it’s known for. It was like any other street and yet like I’ve never seen it before. Agree. We should always travel beyond ‘been there, done that’.

Exactly! That’s what I always feel every time I walk around Kemang on weekends. It’s a completely deserted place on Saturday and Sunday morning, but when the night falls it’s a totally different place.